By Matt Underwood For some reason, this article evokes images of the OKC bombing in my mind. That was another period of right wing radicalism. The current situation feels worse, though.
Because at least when that domestic terror attack happened, our politicians and media rallied together to denounce it.
You didn’t have people creating multimillion dollar funds for Timothy Mcveigh’s defense, political leaders saying that maybe we need to listen to the Mcveighs of the world, and anybody attempting to justify him was immediately shunned.
We don’t have that now. If another domestic terror attack like that happened, it would split the country.
as Democrats are painted no longer just as fellow citizens with different views but as enemies who must be vanquished.
This is hardly new. The “real america” vs “coastal values” bullshit, as if on 9/11 bin laden attacked a trailer park in oklahoma.
See also: “Americans vs. Democrats” or “Patriots vs. Democrats”. One of the hallmarks of Republican propaganda has been to paint themselves as the only legitimate political party.